The Daily Life of Young Wife Yukari-san
by oneechanisgood
Summary: Short stories about Yukari's daily life as an apprentice classical musician and young wife set 7 years after Yukari's debut as an idol. Could she handle her new everyday life and fulfill her dream?


"My name is Yukari Mizumoto, pleased to meet you" the girl in blue dress smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Mizumoto-san. I'm Hitomi Shimasaki. I'm the one who'll be talking with you today.

Sitting in front of Yukari is a woman who called herself Hitomi. Her stylish white blouse, black flowing hair and green eyes complemented each other well. Looks like she's in her late 20s.

"Now, can you tell us more about yourself?" Hitomi started the interview

"Uhm...let's see..I'm currently 22 years-old. I've been playing the flute since I was little and it's been an inseparable part of me since. And...um…"

Brief silence ensued.

"Where did you begin your training?"

For orchestral players, tutelage is pretty important. A year under a masterful tutor worth more than a decade of practicing alone. The same goes for Yukari, who trained under three different flute virtuoso throughout the years.

"Oh..I begin studying on my own until age 7, when I joined a music school in Aomori and studied under Kasumi Narita-sensei. When I was an idol…I-I mostly practiced with myself. I..I had a few problems practicing alone but my producer and friends all helped me. After I retired from being an idol to focus on my training, I studied under Yasuha Akimoto-sensei and Eita Hayashida-sensei in college for 4 years."

Yukari's eyes lit up. She's always like this when talking about things she loves. She could go on and on.

"Why do you want to join the orchestra?" Hitomi continued

"I...you know, I spent my years in college as a flutist for Tokyo City Classics. When I started again after being an idol I was so disconnected from the world.. What is it like now? How far behind am I? I always wondered…" she reminisced.

"Those precious years allowed me to understand that I still have a long way to go.. It.. it allowed me to learn again. At times, I'd watch lives and performance videos of...um, for example, the Royal Philharmonic, New York, Minato Philharmonic, and our own Saitama Symphony...I immediately thought, 'I want to do that too!' or, 'That's beautiful!'...and I realized that our personal development as a player is more important than anything fame or money can offer...and I believe that playing with inspired teammates can bring the best out of anyone"

"But why exactly you want to be good? Or better? When you were in Aomori you were a prodigy with trophies to your name. Even as a college student you've won a few more. Shouldn't you be good enough already?"

"Because I love playing flute"

* * *

Cloudy tuesday in Saitama. The centre of the city is pretty crowded already even before rush hour. Noriko Ujimatsu is sitting at a cafe inside the Saitama Arts Theater, sipping his cold white latte.

 _Almost five, huh..I wonder if Yukari is okay…_

Still donning his blue shirt under a jacket, he came here from his workplace in Minato to pick up his wife who has an interview today.

 _Saitama Symphony...she's come a long way, hasn't she?_

He remembered the days when she met Yukari Mizumoto for the first time. A rookie idol who was clumsy but has the best musical talent among her friends and most importantly, the brightest smile. Now she's one more step ahead towards her dream to become a professional classical musician.

His phone buzzed. New message incoming, he looked at the sender's name: Kanade Hayami.

 _At this hour? Shouldn't she be in Hokkaido somewhere for an MV shoot right now?_

She probably just wanted to tease him again anyway. She's been like this ever since Noriko was still a producer at 346 Production, it just intensified since he married Yukari two months ago. Still, it's nice that colleagues from his producing days still maintain good relationships with him even after he left the company two years ago.

Miho Kohinata, Aiko Takamori, Karen Hojo, to name a few still asked Noriko for advice and tips. His fellow producers Akabane and Takeuchi also still occasionally hang out with him when they have time.

Noriko opened the message. It has an image attached to it.

 _What do you think? Figured it would suit me?_

She said, with a photo of her wrapped in a long-sleeved white dress. It reminds him of her outfit in _Aikurushii_.

 _Cute outfits don't suit you_

He replied. He's already gotten used to exchanging banters with Kanade and to be honest, he found it pretty refreshing.

 _Meanie! (｀_ _Д´)_

But of course, the truth is Kanade looks gorgeous in that outfit.

 _How's it going?_

He asked. Kanade has been pretty busy now. Since Kaede Takagaki quit the idol division to pursue a solo singing career three years ago, Kanade and Mika Jougasaki took over as the flagships of 346 Pro's idol division. The entertainment industry can be quite stressing, hopefully it doesn't get to her now that she's gonna be in every 346 Pro's promotion material.

 _I'm good~. I'm eating properly, sleeping properly, and have some time off planned before the next MV promotion. Thanks for looking after me, dad~!_

She replied with her usual playful tone.

 _I'm sorry but our house cannot sustain a big spoiled daughter right now. Please apply again at later time._

Kanade only replied with a shocked sticker.

 _You two don't plan to have children?_

She asked, this time more seriously.

Yukari and Noriko have talked about this before they married. They agreed that now is probably not the right time. Not when both of them are working and if things go well, Yukari will start her residency at Saitama Symphony and can't afford to divide her attention.

The same thing can be said for Noriko as well. After leaving 346 Pro, he was referred by a friend to apply as a one of the concert managers for Minato Philharmonic, Tokyo's oldest and most prestigious symphony orchestra. Not a bad deal, however since from his new job he got to know a lot of people who could help Yukari in her career.

Anyway, having a kid doesn't seem to be the best option for the young couple right now.

 _I'd be grateful if you'd pick up a kid or two for me next time you're shopping at Rakuten. Couldn't find one last time._

He joked.

 _（・□・；）_

Kanade only replied back with an emoji. Meanwhile at the same time Noriko felt someone poking his left shoulder. When he turned around his left cheek landed perfectly on Yukari's pointed index finger.

"I'm back" she smiled. Noriko paused for a while to admire what's in front of him.

"Oh, welcome back. How was it?"

Yukari sat across him, now they're facing each other.

"It went perfectly, hehee" Yukari smiled, sounding confident.

"That's great" he replied, cannot resist to smile himself after seeing Yukari's.

"Also, they offered me a tour inside the theater. This place is great! Let's go together next time, Noriko-san"

"Of course"

Seeing Yukari so happy is all he needed to rejuvenate himself.

"What are you doing?"

"Kanade is making fun of me again" he showed his chat log.

It's been a while since Yukari and Kanade see each other. Though for Yukari she could always see Kanade on banners and superscreens across the city. Looking at the chat log, she giggled. That's just typical Kanade.

"Shall we go ?" Yukari looked at her watch. It's just 5 minutes until 4.30 PM. The train will get very crowded in half an hour.

"Alright"

 _Got to go. Take care._

He sent one last message to Kanade and packed up to leave.

* * *

Yukari and Noriko boarded the train from Yono-Hommachi station, Saikyo Line. Their home is in Akatsuka, Tokyo not too far from the city of Saitama. From the Saitama Arts Theater, it would took approximately 50 minutes via train.

They got in on time before the afternoon rush hour starts. They took a seat near the entrance.

"Wow, Unix is opening a store here" as the train is crossing the Arakawa River, Yukari pointed to a building that looks freshly painted.

The building belongs to Unix Circle or most commonly, Unix, a video game developer & publisher headquartered in Tokyo. Noriko Ujimatsu used to compose musics for Unix's video games when they were just a small indie studio back in college.

"Oh, right.." that brings back old memory for Noriko. He left the circle because after college, he'd need to find a more stable employment and Unix's games didn't sell all that much. Ironically, it's Noriko's last work with Unix, _Last Prophecy_ that rose them to prominence, and kickstarted their success.

Yukari felt no regrets, though. He still supported his friends and the company by buying their titles and sending messages. Also, it's because he left and then joined 346 Pro that he would later meet Yukari Mizumoto.

"Oh, speaking of which, Yukari.." Noriko remembered something.

"Yes?"

"I called a friend at Unix's music store the other day about that James Conway CD you said you wanted..apparently even they have ran out of stock..sorry" he remembered that Yukari wanted to buy an album CD of Sir James Conway, world-renowned flutist and Yukari's idol.

"Oh my.." that honestly surprised her. She actually never once said anything about the CD, but Noriko was right. All she did was sigh a little when passing by James Conway's advertisement board on a music store when they walked home together one day. Noriko remembers.

"It's alright…" she continued. "Knowing that you think about me makes me even happier" she leaned her head on his shoulder. Noriko could feel her silky hair against his cheek.

"Thank you for always doing your best for me, Noriko-san" she closed her eyes. Savoring the moment before falling asleep.

 _Man, I love her!_

He wanted to scream those words if only he could.

 _No, Yukari...thank you for always driving me to do my best...I'm grateful to have you by my side._

He closed his eyes as well. Only 30 minutes remain before they reach their station and he's gonna cherish every second of it. He just wished that this ride will never end.

It's 5 minutes until 6 PM and they arrived at Narimasu Station, their final stop. Their house is less than 1 km from the station and can be reached by walking in 10 minutes. But by the time they arrived, heavy rain already blanketed the city.

"Yukari, do you bring your umbrella?" Noriko gestured towards Yukari's handbag.

"Yes, it's right...here?" Yukari's expression changed, something feels wrong. "Oh my...I..I left it in the other bag at home. What about you, Noriko-san?"

"..I...well, I thought you'd have it so I didn't bring mine..." he looked away, smiling awkwardly.

 _We're both ditzy!_

That's what they told themselves, in unison. Now all they can do is wait until it stopped or at least becomes lighter.

About 20 minutes passed. The rain is still going strong and noisy yet they passed the time in silence. They're tired after a long day after all. Suddenly Yukari's expression changed.

"Noriko-san.."

"Yeah?"

"Let's play a game.."

"Uh..sure..what game?"

"Let's race to our house!" Yukari smiled confidently.

Noriko giggled in return.

 _Chasing each other in the rain? Well, that's pretty romantic, I guess._

"I hope you're not kidding around, Yukari. Do you remember the rule in the games between us?"

"Loser makes dinner~!" Yukari stood up, followed by Noriko.

Occasionally they will play small games like this, just the two of them. Normally it's just like a usual 'punishment game', but recently their default wager has been the loser have to make dinner for the night.

"I'm ready when you are"

No matter what, Noriko looks like a clear winner here.

"One...two...eeiiii!" suddenly, Yukari threw her pretty light handbag at Noriko.

"What the-!" he caught it and his start got interrupted.

Yukari turned around and just mischievously sticks out her tongue, teasing him.

"Wait there you little devil!" Noriko screamed. He tried to cover it with his jacket so that it wouldn't get wet. By the time he finished, Yukari is already far downstairs, looking at his direction.

 _She planned this!_

He ran after her while still shielding her handbag. Tough luck, though, he wouldn't be able to catch up to her being slowed down like that. The two just ran and laughed all the way home like children. After all, this is what their relationship is about. To be happy with each other, to be the glimmer of joy for each other, to give the best for each other and bring the best out of each other.

 _I won't trade these days for anything_

* * *

It's 7.30 PM, Yukari and Noriko sat in front of their dining table.

"Noriko-san's Miso Soup is delicious!" Yukari is filled with joy.

"Would you like to have some wasabi with that, Yukari-san?" Noriko smiled, that's definitely the smile of fury. Yukari just giggled.

"I'm making Teru Teru Bozu tonight, lots of them" he sulked, but actually joking.

"Let's make it together" Yukari gently smiled.


End file.
